![Shawna Yamamoto_designer_Maya Myers Photography_purple_prom_backdrop_72 Shawna Yamamoto_designer_Maya Myers Photography_purple_prom_backdrop_72](https://i0.wp.com/floristsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Shawna-Yamamoto_designer_Maya-Myers-Photography_purple_prom_backdrop_72-e1620396048235.jpg?resize=800%2C1200&ssl=1)
Make Event Proļ¬ts Pop Up
Discover how renowned L.A. event floristĀ ShawnaĀ YamamotoĀ adjusted to 2020 event cancellations and kept revenue flowingĀ Ā with āPorch Parties.āĀ It might be an idea you can use or adapt for your business.
By Jennifer Howard
Is your spring and summer event calendar looking sparse? Optimistic brides and party hosts were hoping spring would return us to the celebration season. But for most of the country, gatherings are still limited, and many exasperated hosts are postponing their eventsāagain. You know your customers are desperate to kick up their heels this summer season; maybe they just need a creative nudge. Hereās a quick-turn idea to get your imagination started. Letās give those soirĆ©e-loving clients something to get excited about!
Photos by Maya Myers Photography
Porch Parties
Shawna Yamamoto, of Shawna Yamamoto Event Design in Brea, Calif., usually has a full calendar of luxury corporate events and glamorous A-list celebrity bashes dotting her calendar. But COVID-19 spared her no grace last year. To keep her team busy and business afloat, she launched āPorch Partiesā as a new socially distanced service for her party-enthused clients.
Yamamotoās over-the-top outdoor home events caught on with clients and the local media. Her Porch Parties now represent at least 50 percent of her current revenue. Itās not a perfect solution or ideal for every florist, but read on to see which elements you can extract and apply in your business.
Party On
āPeople think itās great,ā Yamamoto reports. āThey feel like they can still have a party and do something meaningful to celebrate with their family and friends.ā She launched the Porch Party idea by hosting and promoting her own āGrads at the Padā event in 2020. It was a social media hit. Her outdoor events are bringing Hollywood-set-quality design to her clientsā front porches, backyards and driveways, for Instagrammable photos.
Tap Your Entire Network
Yamamotoās Porch Party events are a combination of design genius and collaboration. Yamamoto teams up with her partners in related industries to add creative lighting, photography, music, outrageous entertainment and goodie boxes to her larger-than-life spaces.
āWe try to include all of our āfriendorsā [other vendors with whom she regularly works] to make amazing events for our discerning client base,ā she shares. āIt benefits everyone.ā Her team has created home-based party magic for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, quinceaƱeras, graduations and prom pop-ups across Orange County.
Safety First
While many clients are initially wary of event-host backlash, Yamamotoās team prioritizes the safety and welfare of event attendees and her team. āOnce clients see how it works, they are delighted. Porch Parties are a cool new experience for them, and they donāt have to miss a celebration,ā she notes.
But Yamamoto has found that home event safety requires new thinking. āWe keep the same team on a job from start to finish,ā she explains. āWe reduce exposure by limiting the number of people in the studio and on site. That way, if there
is a problem, itās isolated.ā She also requests that clients limit additional vendors or, at least, schedule them for setup hours that are separate from her team. More personal space is always better.
Sheās even found that safety can lead to special surprises and client add-ons. āWeāve started offering custom-themed attendee masks, playfully orchestrated hand sanitizers, and even stylized signs for the party attendance rules,ā Yamamoto says.
![Madison's 15th Birthday Porch Party](https://i0.wp.com/floristsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Shawna-Yamamoto_designer_Alicia-Mink-Photography_Iridescent_bday_popup_72-e1620396188691.jpg?resize=800%2C1000&ssl=1)
Pop-up Party Essential Elements
Directional signage turns out to be critical, Yamamoto points out. āMost people are happy to honor the hostsā requests
for traffic flow, parking, masks, personal spacing and hand washing. But they have to know how to comply. Everyoneās expectations are different.ā Yamamoto emphasizes that party rules should be clearly posted at various locations for everyoneās enjoyment.
The other essential element is the backdrop. āDonāt spread your money too thinly,ā Yamamoto advises. āGo big on the backdrop; make it the focal point. Then youāll get some truly Pinterest-worthy photos for referrals!ā
She also delights clients with special surprises like goodie boxes. āEveryone wants a piece of a party to take home. If you make it memorable, they want to keep it,ā Yamamoto adds.
Contract Changes and Profitability
Quick-turn events like Yamamotoās Porch Parties still require a contract similar to large-scale on-site events, with one exceptionāpayment in full, in advance, she says.
āEducate your customers,ā Yamamoto advises. āThe design and dĆ©cor have to be flexible these days. In L.A., balloons are sold out. Flowers are accessible but limited. We increasingly rely on painted greenery and dried florals. Often these items can be reused, making our work more profitable.ā
But itās important to have the funds and flexibility to use what works. She also recommends examining your inventory and pulling from it as much as possible. Reusable usually means more profitable.
Challenges to Consider
As with any onsite work, the location and weather are wild cards. āUnexpected slopes and divots can wreak havoc on your design. Scout the specific area whenever possible,ā Yamamoto suggests.
She also cautions about the impact of weather, particularly temperature and sun exposure, to design elements. āYou have to watch inflatables, fresh flowers and painted items. They can go bad fast.ā
Package Your Parties to Sell
Itās tempting to offer everyone fully customizable events. Many designers stake their businesses on creative client collaboration. But smaller events can mean smaller budgets. Straying into too many offers can dent your profitability on small-scale jobs. Yamamoto recommends promoting clearly defined packages.
āOffer maybe three options: one with just a backdrop, then add-ons for balloons, flowers or other services. Use templates, and stick to your packages. Deviating gets expensive,āshe assures.
Yamamoto admits that Porch Parties arenāt a long-term play for her business. āItās not really sustainable for my businessās overhead,ā she informs. āBut I can see the potential for a boutique florist in a smaller market.ā (See our sidebar on the opposite page for ideas on how to adapt or modify the Porch Party event idea for your businessās needs.)
The Perks of Pop-ups
Adding a mobile or small-scale event option can benefit your business and also your community. You are building goodwill by offering your clients a joyful respite from mundane pandemic life. And getting your team back out into the community will boost your visibility, hopefully seeding near and long-term referrals.
But the obvious business benefit is cash flow. If your calendar is feeling lonely this spring, think through the possibilities for Porch Parties or similar quick-turn events in your area. Letās schedule some must-have celebrations in 2021 to start the revelry and money flowing again!
More Quick Money Idea$
Porch Parties are just one way to create quick money-making pop-up events. Here are some other thought starters you can tailor to your business capabilities and market demands. Maybe these ideas will inspire you to dream up one on your own!
CREATE IT
- Design a prefab, reusable pop-up photo site for drive- through at home events (graduations, proms, baby or wedding showers, retirement parties or birthday parties). Consider mocking one up to promote on your website and social platforms.
- Create a highly visible trafļ¬c pattern for cars and
- Communicate clear rules on attendance (hand washing, distancing, masks, event timing), and display them
FIND A VENUE
- Partner with a retail outlet like a restaurant, garden center, pet salon, or popular boutique or cafĆ© that already has trafļ¬c and some event infrastructure, like parking or outdoor
- Draw foot trafļ¬c to your own storefront with holiday- scheduled pop-up selļ¬e spots indoors or Turn it into an Instagram Live party spot. Then post a schedule for upcoming events.
- Partner with groups, nonproļ¬ts, school PTAs or public venues to boost approved event
MARKET IT
- Sell tickets online for predetermined time slots via TicketSource, Square, Ticketleap or Eventbrite, and integrate sales into social media Or, at least, require sign-up slots on SignUpGenius or other free platforms.
- Sell event tickets (with add-on options) as a gift option, with an announcement
- Think about the range of seasonal celebratory events that a pop-up party could support: proms, graduations, Motherās Day, Halloween and holiday festivals or light
- Find ways to expand general celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries, pet portraits, with monthly seasonal displays.
- Offer a donation percentage or add-on donation for a relevant charitable
UPSELL
- Offer add-on purchases: corsages; take-home bouquets; wine or champagne; professional photo packages; seasonal treat bags; bath/spa gift baskets; and/or photo-printed gifts like mugs, printed wood or etched
- Work with your retail partner(s) to offer packages that include dinner, ļ¬owers and a professional photo for special events (proms, Motherās Day, ). Make any day special with a selļ¬e spot at a popular take-out place before a broadcast event (such as Academy Award night or local sporting event).
- Offer photo spots as a memorable add-on to micro Coordinate with the event photographer to incorporate the guest photos into the wedding album.
![pop-up-ideas pop-up-ideas](https://i0.wp.com/floristsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pop-up-ideas.jpeg?resize=650%2C1793&ssl=1)
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